CHEEKTOWAGA — New Era has outfitted new University at Buffalo football coach Jeff Quinn with a camouflage cap bearing the UB insignia. It’s something Quinn, and avid fisherman, can sport out on the water.

It’s also a symbol of the drill sergeant approach Quinn has taken to his first head coaching job after 27 years in the assistant ranks.

In trying to continue the momentum set in motion by Turner Gill, a quintessential players’ coach, Quinn pushed the Bulls harder than they were used to during spring practices and summer conditioning workouts.

“He’s a guy who won’t stop until he gets the best out of you,” said senior cornerback Domonic Cook, a St. Joe’s graduate.

“We’re going to toughen up and play this game the right way,” Quinn said. “I don’t drive in the right lane at 55. I like to press the pedal.”

Desmond Howard, the 1991 Heisman Trophy winner and 1997 Super Bowl MVP who spoke at Wednesday’s kickoff luncheon attended by more than 325 supporters, said he always preferred a demanding coach, and found Quinn’s style to be refreshing.

“I think a lot of these coaches are getting soft,” said Howard, who is now an ESPN analyst. “The inmates are running the asylum.”

More discipline and determination in the weight room and on the practice field is “exactly what (UB) needed,” Cook said, after a disappointing 2009 season when the Bulls were favored to repeat as Mid-American Conference East division champions, but wound up going 5-7.

“In the past, a lot of the guys have been more laid back,” Cook said. 

Addressing the luncheon crowd at the Millenium Airport Hotel, Cook said Quinn’s coaching style can be summed up in three words: dedication, determination and domination.

“That’s just my style,” Quinn said. “I’m a very passionate man, very intense, and I demand. And that’s how you win. You have to go out there and you have to push these young men to competitive greatness.”

Four weeks away from the Sept. 2 season opener against Rhode Island at UB Stadium, 105 players move into the dorms tonight and start practicing Friday morning.

“Our players have don an outstanding job all summer committing themselves to our football training regimen,” Quinn said. “As we pass the baton from our strength and conditioning coach (Zach Duval) to myself and our position coaches, obviously we’re looking very much forward to getting this season off on a high note.”

Contact reporter Jonah Bronstein at 282-2311, ext. 2258.